I Don't Run
by Kajimata
Summary: He was being taken over.
1. End at the Beginning

Disclaimer: I in no way or form own Naruto. I am in no way getting money for this. If I did own Naruto, I wouldn't be writing this.

**End at the Beginning**

He was running. He was running through that same dark corridor, water sloshing at his shins while he tried to get away. Back to his own mind- to get back in control. But he could already feel the malicious chakra oozing in behind him. He could hear that inhuman laughter. He could feel the crazed eyes on his back.

He wouldn't get out in time. The key had been found. He'd been angry. His tenant burst through and got it in that one instant of blind rage. And it was taking over. The seal was weakening.

No.

The seal was breaking.

He was going to lose all his precious people. Maybe he'd lose himself first. He prayed to dear God for their safety as the burning, red chakra slowly engulfed him.

Kyuubi was back.

* * *

Author's Note: I wrote this on my thoughts of what Naruto would be feeling if Kyuubi ever broke the seal. This is intended as a one shot, but I might get cracking on another chapter if it is received well enough. Also, this was written after an AP Europe exam of the most stressful kind in the last 15 minutes. Please excuse the shabby, unedited, piece of writing before you. 


	2. Reprieve

Disclaimer: _See chapter one._

**Reprieve**

Naruto awoke with a start. His hands were clammy with sweat and he couldn't stop trembling.

_Was that all a dream?_

He glanced at his alarm clock. 3:45 am. He was up three hours early. He drew his knees up to his chest.

_I've never dreamt about Kyuubi before. Why now?_

He tried to go back to sleep, but he couldn't stop the maniacal images from resurfacing. Okay, sleep was moot. What now? He got out of bed and started stretching. He drank some cold water and returned to bed. Sleep wouldn't come. He tossed and turned. He glanced at his clock again. 4:05 am.

_I have to meet up with Sasuke to train in two hours anyway. _

He left his bed for good now, tossing his night hat onto his pillow as he made his way to the kitchen in a daze. He set up his ramen and set off for his shower with a yawn. He nearly tripped on the pair of slippers lying awkwardly in front of his bathroom door.

_Stupid slippers._

He kicked them aside and headed into the shower. He stood under the hot water, letting it relax him. He let his fear of the dream float away with the steam. After what seemed to be an eternity, he left feeling refreshed. He dressed in the usual black and orange sweat suit and headed into the kitchen. The ramen was still warm. Good. He gobbled it all down and headed back to his room for his hitai-ate. He glanced at the clock again. 4:55 am. He took his time packing some weapons and scrolls before finally leaving 15 minutes later.

He was still so early the sun hadn't painted the sky a soft hue of pink. He opted to stargaze on his roof for a bit. The cool wind brushing his cheek was soothing. The rustling of leaves in the not too distant trees lulled him into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

Author's Note: I received some encouragement from some friends and my first reviewer Pretty Pessimist. XD So I'm persevering. Please read and leave constructive reviews. 


	3. To Breathe

Disclaimer:_ See chapter one._

P.S. Slight spoilers ahead; towards the end.

* * *

"Oi, dobe wake up."

"Nng," He mumbled and reluctantly opened his eyes. Sasuke's onyx eyes swam into view.

Sasuke wouldn't ask him why he was asleep on his roof. He didn't care. But Naruto was forgetting something.

"…"

"…Oh yeah! The training! What time is it?"

"8:00 dobe."

Fuck.

"…Well," he improvised, "I was just, um…resting my eyes" he replied sheepishly.

"Save it dobe."

"Bastard."

Naruto gathered his pack and leapt after Sasuke toward their meeting spot.

He couldn't help but let his mind wander back to the dream. Sasuke, even though he saw Naruto in a daze, didn't say anything.

Sakura was already there waiting.

Sasuke went towards the trees to set up some traps.

"Hey, why are you late Naruto?" she asked, hopping off her rock and jogging over looking concerned.

Naruto was snapped out of his daze.

"Huh? Uh, I was resting my eyes?" he said with his best shit-eating smile.

"BAKE!"

Punch.

Crack.

"I'm okay."

"Quit that and let's train seriously!" Sasuke admonished after finishing a trap.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun."

"You guys will try to steal the scroll on my back from me while I try to disable you." He stated.

Sinking into an offensive stance, Sasuke threw some kunai at Naruto first.

Naruto's mind was elsewhere though.

'_Why am I worried about this? Kyuubi isn't going to get out right?_'

Lost in thought, he mechanically dodged them, leaping fluidly from the fire racing down the wires attached.

He halfheartedly scanned the area for more traps and flipped over one before dodging a kunai from Sakura; ignoring the message tied to the back. He didn't look for Sasuke; he didn't notice that he was missing.

'_I mean really, the Fourth's seal would never break right?_' he thought deflecting a set of shuriken from the hidden ice prince.

'_But I feel as if I'm forgetting something…_' he thought tripping over a hidden wire.

'_Oh shit!_' he thought barely escaping the ensuing explosion.

'_That was—'_his thoughts were cut off as he was body slammed into a tree by Sasuke.

"Naruto!" he heard Sasuke yell as if from a distance.

'_Crap, my ears are damaged_.'

"Oi, what do you want bastard?!" he yelled anyway, trying to cover up his mistake.

"Pay attention will you!" Sasuke snarled.

"I was paying attention bastard!" he shot back, kneeing Sasuke in his gut and shoving him off before finally pushing his troubled thoughts away and focusing on the training.

He jumped away with a fluid grace and hid in the trees. Setting up a trap before moving elsewhere and activating another one.

But his mind was wandering again.

'_I really shouldn't worry about it anymore, Kyuubi can't break out and he never will!_' he thought with conviction…that was already waning away.

Before he knew it, he was daydreaming.

Sakura jumped onto the branch next to him. He barely registered her arrival.

"Do you think we should flank him and set up some wired explosion tags perpendicular to our positions?" she asked, trying to scrutinize Sasuke's position below.

"Okay."

"Or do you think that surrounding him with 30 of your clones with one standing back to confuse him would be better? After all, he didn't see your chuunin exam fight with Neji the first time."

"Okay."

"Which is it, Naruto?" she asked frankly, looking at him.

"Okay."

'_Is he even paying attention to me?_' she thought, getting annoyed.

"Do you want to have a hot, passionate, threesome with Lee and Gai-sensei?"

"Okay."

"Hey Naruto!" she hissed whacking his head.

"What? What?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head, trying to soothe the rising lump.

"Pay attention! We have to get the scroll from Sasuke remember?" she admonished.

"Quit daydreaming!" she continued.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan," he said scratching his cheek with his finger.

"Now, you've given Sasuke more than enough time to come up with a plan, so we're going to corner him five feet to the right of the boulder I was sitting on," she said pointing it out from their spot in the trees.

"I want you to set a wire trap at the base and two clones beneath it. You take his front; I've got his back since you can keep him busy well enough. We corner him at the boulder and the trap will keep him there so I can take the scroll, okay?"

"Alright, sounds good to me," Naruto shrugged in approval.

"Take this scroll it has the binding jutsu on it," she finished.

"Let's get going then," Naruto replied, flashing her a smile and jumping towards some other trees.

'_He's such a scatterbrain_,' she thought affectionately as she raced away from their spot.

'_What's got him on edge_,' she wondered, '_he doesn't really space out._' She stored that bit for later and started scouting for Sasuke.

Neither of them noticed the pale green snake slithering away.

* * *

It didn't take a minute after that for Sakura to be proved incapacitated and Naruto to find him self in fierce combat against Sasuke before he could even finish building the trap.

'_Where the hell did he come from?!' _Naruto thought blocking the barrage of blows he trying and failing to dodge. He couldn't go anywhere, so even though he saw Sasuke's clone finish the trap he was being backed into, he couldn't escape.

'_Shit, what do I do? Sakura's probably out cold right now,'_ he thought but his mind was blank.

Suddenly he had a flash of brilliance. He couldn't help smirking as he took a punch; poofing his way away from the trap to appear behind Sasuke.

'_I've got to thank Konohamaru later,' _Naruto thought, grinning like a pervert with porn from ear to ear.

"Sexy Jutsu: Double Knockout Girls!"

Sasuke stopped cold, the clone behind him disappearing.

Naruto was having a hard time not laughing despite the priceless look on Sasuke's face.

"Q-Quit joking around Naruto!" Sasuke sneered, blushing slightly; "Did you honestly think a jutsu of that caliber would have any effect on me dobe?!" voice rising to a bark.

"Who do you think you're kidding Sassy-cakes?" he laughed, breaking the jutsu. "That was hot and you know it!"

"Get out of my face!" Sasuke yelled, charging at him, kunai.

But Naruto dodged and laughed harder when Sasuke fell into Naruto's binding trap.

'_Damnit! The dobe of all people got me! Dear God, I'll never hear the end of it.'_ He thought miserably.

"You see the thing is, I'm glad you took notice," Naruto said wiping the tears from his eyes.

"What?" Sasuke growled, pure contempt in his eyes.

"Because," Naruto stressed, "I was afraid that I'd have to use Double Knock Out Boys on you. I thought Orochimaru made you gay like him."

"Are you implying that I like guys?" Sasuke snarled, voice dangerously low.

"Well duh!" Naruto said matter-of-fact, "when someone as asexual as you gets lured by a pedophile promising candy and power, I think that they learn more than just jutsu if you know what I mean," he said wagging his eyebrows.

"What the hell Naruto! You're worse than Kakashi!" he yelled from his bound spot.

"Come on, you should thank him," Naruto preached as he strutted away.

"What For?!" he yelled, cheeks already lobster red and darkening.

"Now," he said glancing back with a grin, "you're not 100 certain to die of blue-balls."

"DOBE, I'LL KILL YOU!"

"That'll be that day Jiraiya dies a virgin!"

'_At least," _he thought, chuckling, as he went looking for Sakura, _'we know for sure that he finds you and Ino attractive Sakura-chan.'_

That night as he lay in bed, he laughed at himself.

'I can't believe I was such a pussy and let a nightmare scare me for a whole day! Gawd, I need help.' He thought with a grin, tucking the sheets higher. 

He didn't hear the fox's crazed sniggers echoing in the far recesses of his mind.

* * *

A/N: Hey, sorry for the lack of updates; serious writer's block and AP Europe is a bitch. Longer chapters were requested and as such, are given. Constructive criticism is welcome of course. I am still a novice but I want to improve, so thanks for the support! I was thinking of ending it with the SakuIno moment but I couldn't resist rounding out the whole day. Read and review please D. 


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